Spotlight: El Nino Impacts on Health 
A new bulletin published by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society provides an update on the emerging El Niño and its potential health impacts. Responding to growing concerns about El Niño from organizations such as the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the IRI produced the document in order to give decision makers key recommendations on how to monitor communities at risk and take steps to reduce their vulnerability. It also provides links to valuable resources and IRI maps.
IRI's Madeleine Thomson discusses the effects - good and bad - that the climate phenomenon could have on public health around the world in an audio interview (see right). This is the second in our series of audio interviews on El Niño. To hear the first, go to our recent story about El Niño Misconceptions.
For a complete list of resources about El Niño and La Niña, visit our ENSO web page.
About the IRI
The IRI works on the development and implementation of strategies to manage climate related risks and opportunities. Building on a multidisciplinary core of expertise, IRI partners with research institutions and local stakeholders to best understand needs, risks and possibilities. The IRI supports sustainable development by bringing the best science to bear on managing climate risks in sectors such as agriculture, food security, water resources, and health. By providing practical advancements that enable better management of climate related risks and opportunities in the present, we are creating solutions that will increase adaptability to long term climate change.
The IRI was established as a cooperative agreement between NOAA's Climate Program Office and Columbia University. It is part of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and is located at the Lamont Campus.
Media contact:
Telephone: 845.680.4476 or 845.680.4468
